Soap bubble toy



Feb. 20, 1962 r ALLEN ETAL 3,021,639

SOAP BUBBLE TOY -Filed June 15. 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 26 I l3 I3 20INVENTORS.

H ROBERT Y ALLEN,

MELVIN s'HAw a FIG 3 BY DONALD E. UMSTEAD ATTO /v EY Feb. 20, 1962 ALLENL SOAP BUBBLE TOY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 15, 1959 FIG. 6

FIG 5 IN V EN TORS.

ROBERT Y. ALLEN,

MELVIN SHAW 8 DONALD E. UMSTEAD W M ATTORN Y United States Patent Q3,021,639 soAP'BtJauLE ToY Robert Y. Allen and Melvin Shaw, LbsAngelles, Calif., and Donald E. Umstead, Young town, Oh o, assi uo bymesae ass nment o, Frau Dee orpora o Y tu s n h i l Filed JuneIS, 15.59, Ser. No. 820,207

Th n en i n, rel s o. a o bb m and m particularly to a toy incorporatingnovel means for forming soap films and directing air'therethrough.

The principal objeet of the invention is provision of a soap bubble toyof simple and efiicient design capable of ferming soap bubbles with aminimum of effort.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a soap bubble toywherein a housing in the form of an ornamental object holds liquid soapand a film forming device therein and forms an integral passageway.directed into one side of the forming device.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a soapbubble toy incorporating liquid soap and a forming device includingseveral frames movable into and out of he liquid soap i he u n A stillfurther object of the invention is the provision of a film formingdevice in a soap bubble toy in which ar ua s y. b we c n u ram form, sfilm t sinating structures.

e so p bubble oy d o ed he in mp e n improvement in theart relating tosueh toys and wherein a n v l an highly efl isnt o p m. o m n structureis employ tsso inus y f r a ua e re gu a s ti n of oap fi wh e moved e alo P p ha s ap b bb e are di y an as l o m d- The structure" for formingthe soap film sections is mounted for rotation on an ornamental housingwhich also forms a container for liquid soap. The blow pipe comprisesprimarily a portion 'of the housing arranged in a novel manner to bringthe air for forming the-soap bubbles into proper position in the soapfilm forming mechanism.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and.arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being the intention to cover all changes andmodifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposesof the disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the spiritand scope of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the soap bubble toy.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section on line 2-2 of FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal section on line 33 of FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 4 is an exploded perspective view of the several parts of thesoap bubble toy.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged cross section on line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to FIGURE 5 showing a modified form of thisportion of the device.

By referring to the drawings and FIGURE 1 in particular it will be seenthat the soap bubble toy comprises a housing formed of body sections 10and 11 which are joined to one another on their vertical center linesand which housing defines a bubble emitting opening 12 and receives androtatably supports a plurality of separate and distinct arcuaterectangular soap forming frames 13. Still referring to FIGURE 1 of thedrawings it will be seen that a blow pipe 14 is provided in properrelation to the plurality of arcuate rectangular frames 13 so that airdirected therethrough as hereinafter described; will engage each ofth'earcuate rectangular soap film frames 13 as the same are moved in anannular path thereover. The arcuate rectangular soap film'fra'mes 13 areeach supported on a pair of radially positioned arms 15 which are joinedat their innermostends -on a common hub 16, It will be observed thatthe'a'rms 15 are on center with respect to the frames 13: and thatthe'hub 16 isalso off center with respect thereto. The hub 16 has acentral aperture as may be seen by referring toFIGURE 4 and is'mountedthereby on the end of a crank shaft 17 which includes an offset handle18 as also best illustrated in FIGURE 4. The shaft 17 "ispositionedthrough a journal 19in a wall of the body member 10 andterminates substantially in the centra1 portion ofthe housing as may beseen in section in FIGURE 3 of the drawings so that the hub 16, which iscemented to the terminal inner end of the shaft 17 in the finalas'semblyof the. toy, is rotatably supported within the ho'us'irig'formed by'thebody members 10 and 11. The blow pipe Mist. shaped as best seen inFIGURES 3 and 4 ofthe drawings and itwill be observed that the uprightportion thereof with the discharge orifice in the end thereof ispositioned in a location corresponding with'the'outer center line of theplurality of radially positioned soap film frames 13 with the dischargeopening thereof aimed at the opening 12 the housing and positionedoff'center with respect to the annular path of the circumferentiallyspaced soap film frames 13. The opposite end of the blow pipe 14 extendsthrough the body member 11 and communicates with the exterior thereofand air is directed intothe same through a secondary body member 20which overlies the side of the body member 10 of the housing and isspaced with respect thereto as best seen in FIGURE 3 of the drawings.The rearward extending portion of the secondary body'member 20 matchesthe rearward extending portion 19A ofthe body member lll'and the sameare joined to one another along their vertical'edges, with their extremeouter ends formingan opening 21 through which air is directed into thesoap bubble toy.

It will be observed by referring to FIGURES 2 and- 3 of the drawingsthat the body member 10 has a transverse partition 22 therein dividingthe main portion thereof from the rearward extension 10A thereof so thatair blown into the rearmost portion of the toy through the opening 21will not enter the housing formed by the body members 10 and 11 and inwhich the liquid soap is positioned as heretofore described but willfiow around the same and through the blow pipe 14 as heretoforedescribed.

By referring now to FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings it will beobserved that the inner surfaces of the longer side portions of the soapfilm frames 13 are ribbed as at 23 so that relatively small contactareas are defined which facilitate the separation of the soap film fromthe frame 13 when the frame 13 carrying the soap film is in line withthe blow pipe 14. Alternately the inner surface of the longer sides ofthe soap film frames 13 may be rounded so as to define arcuate crosssections as disclosed in the modification of FIGURE 6 in which amodified soap film frame 24 has cross sectionally arcuate inner surfaces25 on its longer side sections. The ends 26 of the rectangular soap filmframes 13 are circular in cross section and this construction isessential to the separation of the soap film from the soap film frames13 without tearing the soap film and destroying the bubble being formedwhen a soap film frame 13 is in line with the blow pipe 14 as heretoforedescribed.

Those skilled in the art of assembling plastic toys and the like willobserve that the body members 10 and 11 and the secondary body member 20are cemented to one 3 another to form the housing shown in FIGURES 1, 2and 3 so that the liquid soap may be retained in the housing in whichthe plurality of soap film frames 13 will be engaged when they arerotated by the crank 13 on the shaft 17.

In operation liquid soap is poured into the bubble toy through thebubble emitting opening 12 until a pool of the same is formed of a depthto cover the soap film frames 13 when in lowermost position in thehousing. The crank 18 is then turned manually while air is blown intothe opening 21. The soap film frames 13, each of which iscircumferentially disconnected to its adjacent frames, revolve in anannular path into and out of the liquid soap. Each of the frames 13carries an arcuate rectangular soap film the edges of which are engagedon the ribs 23 and the ends 26 as heretofore described so that when thesoap film frame 13 is in line with the upward and outward facing blowpipe 14 air coming therefrom is directed centrally thereagainst and abubble formed of the soap film which rises upwardly through the opening12 in the soap bubble toy and separates from the toy and floats awaytherefrom. A single breath blown into the toy by a child while the crank18 is turned will produce a great many bubbles varying in size from ahalf inch to an inch and one half in diameter. The toy is so formed thateach frame 13 produces an individ ual bubble with a minimum of effortand the size of the bubble is controlled by the rapidity of rotation ofthe frames 13 with respect to the blow pipe. In other words the soapfilm frames 13 slowly produce larger and fewer bubbles while rotatingthe soap film frames rapidly produces a large quantity of relativelysmaller bubbles. It will be observed that it is practically impossiblefor a child playing with the toy to accidentally suck liquid soap intothe blow pipe due to its positioning and arrangement and it will beobserved that the soap bubble toy meets the several objects of theinvention and having thus described our invention what we claim is:

1. A soap bubble toy comprising a hollow housing having an upwardlydirected opening formed therein, a shaft journaled in a wall of saidhousing and projecting thereinto and terminating in the central portionof the housing, a hub fixed to the terminal inner end of said shaftwithin said housing and having a plurality of radially positioned arms,a plurality of separate and distinct arcuate rectangular soap filmframes secured to the outer ends of said arms in laterally offsetrelation thereto,

each of said soap film frames being circumferentially disconnected toits adjacent frames, each of said frames being defined by a pair of sidemembers and a pair of end members interconnecting said side members, ablow pipe within said housing including a first portion extending fromthat side of the housing opposite said shaft into the confines of saidrectangular frames and including an open-ended extension portion whichextends substantially diametrically with relation to the annular path ofsaid frames, said open end of the extension being disposed closelyadjacent to the inner sides of said rectangular frames, theinterrelationship between said open-ended extension and said framesbeing such that when one of the frames is disposed adjacent said openingin the housing, the open end of said extension is disposed substantiallysymmetrically with respect to the frame adjacent the opening in thehousing whereby the open end is disposed substantially equidistantlybetween the end 1116131 bers of the associated frame, and the sidemembers of the associated frame are also disposed substantiallyequidistantly from the open end of the extension and said associatedframe will thereby receive the full discharge of a fluid stream issuingfrom said open end, from one end member of the frame to the other, saidblowpipe opening to the outer side of saidhousing, said housingincluding a trough-like extension projecting therefrom, a secondary bodymember secured to said trough-like extension and forming therewith anair passageway leading to said housing, said secondary body memberhaving an extension joined with said housing on the outer side thereofand leading around to said blowpipe opening with such extension formingwith the outer side of said body a continuation of said air passageleading to said blowpipe, and means for manually turning said shaft. 2.Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the side and end members ofeach frame have transversely rounded inner. side surfaces to facilitateseparation of soap bubbles from the frame and to prevent tearing of thebubbles.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS RaizenMay 22, 1956

